2013: Best Travel Moments

It’s finally happened. The Earth is rotating on its slightly tilted polar axis for one last time before it begins the arduous journey all over again, albeit slightly faster. 1.6 microseconds faster, to be exact, ensuring that 2014 reaches us just a bit sooner. Though this year had its share of ups and downs – a lot more people died in 2013 than the last three years combined – it’s been in many ways a fascinating 365 days. Personally, we think it’s been the best year of our lives so far.

Usually, a tribute post like this has a long list of names – people who have made our year so memorable. This time around, we thought we’d share the ‘moments’ that have left an indelible mark on us, and made us feel safe, secure, happy and peaceful.

Peace is something that the both of us have been struggling to attain in the past – an ethereal wisp of hope that used to vanish as soon as we neared it. We have both struggled against the tide and tried hard to stay afloat in a chaotic world filled with insecurities and temptations. But we never lost hope. More importantly, we did not overlook the signs that the Universe showed us. A lot of strange, seemingly unimportant incidents played their roles in succession, triggering a chain reaction that resulted in us meeting each other, falling in love and getting married to each other within the span of these magical 365 days.

We tested each other’s TQ (Travel Quotient) over quite a few trips, and decided we liked what we saw. And what a journey it has been! Incidentally, it’s the first time we both have traveled with the same person on consecutive trips. Many consecutive trips. And we love it!

So, here they are, some of the best moments of this year, from Mansi’s point of view, where we have fallen irreversibly more in love with each other, and deeper into the pit of peace:

Swimming in a lake in Vangni – Learnt the unpredictability of swimming in a natural water body like the lake  as against the controlled environment of a swimming pool.

Delhi – Introduced Delhi to Nikhil through my happy goggles and introduced my folks to authentic  sambhar chawal made by a kannadiga.

Gokarna – My first trip to Gokarna, back in 2012, was spent at the Namaste Café tattoo parlour or in the cottage resting my tattoo wound. So this year, the trip was spent rediscovering Gokarna, swimming in the spotless beaches & talking about life over numerous cups of coffee with our good friend Rohit.

Hampi – This trip to Hampi was especially memorable because this is what will be my last South Indian meal at the Mango Tree. But cycling around the ruins and cooling our heels and eyes under a massive boulder makes up up for it.

Goan weddings – 2013 also witnessed two weddings in the Mendes family (my Goa in Gurgaon). My best friend Joanna began the year by snagging a groom and Stalin ended it with a bride. And if you thought Goans are laid back & love their siestas, wait till you attend a Goan wedding. Boy, can they get any more hyper!

Bangkok – As a traveler I like being proven wrong about a place I had written off earlier. Bangkok was precisely that; I loved it for its exotic Thai street food. It’s tasty, cheap & clean. The only place where even the clear soup is tasty

Phuket – Phuket was heaven because we were tired, battered from the wedding & this place let us have what we were missing for weeks – Peace

PhiPhi Islands – We completed a circle with Phi Phi. Nikhil asked me out on a rainy Bombay night after having watched The Beach. I said yes because I was stoned.

Bangkok

Stalin’s Wedding in Goa

Delhi

Phuket

Hampi

Hampi

Bangkok

Hampi

Delhi

Phuket

Bangkok

Hampi

Hampi

Bangkok

Well, there you have it.

A relationship that began amidst the haze of a marijuana-induced banter went on to entrench itself in us, and fill us with those elusive things we were both searching for.

If nothing, this year will always be special for the both of us because of this one moment of truth:

Just Married

Happy holidays everyone. May your roads never end.

Goa: Through Her Happy Goggles

I feel almost ashamed to confess that being 28 years old, I’ve never been to Goa. As an adult.

I’ve been there once when I was a 7-year-old kid, with my family and my relatives and all I can remember about that trip was collecting starfish in my dad’s handkerchief. Anyway, I’ve never been there after that and I have always felt like an outsider in any conversation that involved people making plans to go to Goa or people discussing their recent trip to Goa. I’d given it up as a never-gonna-happen event. I’d never go to Goa. I even convinced myself that the Goa scenes of partying, over-crowded beaches and limitless alcohol were not my cups of chai.

Martin’s Corner, Goa

Of all the beaches in the world, the only ones I consider worth going to are in Gokarna. Nestled cozily in the armpit of North Karnataka, away from prying eyes of soulless tourists, the place breathes magic and serenity at every nook. Mansi had never been to Gokarna and so, we decided to go there and it was decided that I’d show her why that place is so magical. I’ve written extensively about my travels to Gokarna on my personal blog at MirrorCracked.

To get to Gokarna from Mumbai, one has to either catch a direct bus at 3 in the afternoon to Kumta, which is about an hour away from Gokarna. This ride is almost 16 hours  and one would reach Kumta only at 7 in the morning the next day. But the sleeper buses are comfortable enough and unless you have a naughty bladder, you can fare very well. But given that we had almost a full day’s work to finish on a Friday, we decided to take the alternative route. Via Goa.

On the 28th of September 2012, Mansi and I set out at about 5 in the evening on a bus headed to Goa. We had four days ahead of us (October 2nd being a National Holiday in India, we had a really long weekend) and Mansi had big plans of showing me around Goa for the first two days and then it’d be my turn to do the same in Gokarna. I was apprehensive, i’ll confess. I never really cared for too many bodies on beaches. And I consider it sacrilege to see a beach being commercialized with people selling all sorts of junk food, junk jewelry, junk clothes and just plain junk in order to trap tourists and attract filth off the streets. I told her my fears, but she was quite cool about it. She explained the difference between South Goa and North Goa, and told me that we were going to South Goa, where it was peaceful, quiet and away from the mindless meat markets of the North. I told her that seeing was believing.

So, a very pleasant 8-hour overnight ride brought us to Mudgaon (or better known as Margoa on maps), which is the main trading and commercial center of South Goa. We had our trademark chai at a local vendor and were picked up by a friend in his car. A very pleasant drive through the narrow roads of the city brought us to Benaulim, where I could not see a single flea on the beach. There was no one. Vast expanses of empty beachhead, the sound of the gently lapping waves and the wind rustling through my hair, and I was hooked. A lovely quiet breakfast later, we stared our exploration.

We lunched at a restaurant called Dropadi, on Palolem Beach, which was a pleasant 45-minute drive from Margoa. Sipping our drinks and looking out on to the pristine blue waters of the Arabian Sea, shimmering in the afternoon sun was a lazy thrill that seemed unable to be surpassed.

A quick detour on our way back found us amidst the ruins of the Cabo De Rama fort. It was a humbling sight – sitting on the ruined fort wall and looking out on to the sea at a distance below us and the deafening silence enveloping us in its safe cocoon. We drove back that night with a happy smile on our faces.

Our second day in Goa began with a lovely breakfast at the legendary Martin’s C0rner. The quaint ambiance of the place set the mood for our memorable drive from South to North Goa, as we made our way to Anjuna Beach. With Google Maps supporting us ably all the way, we made the 50 kilometer drive in little over an hour. All the nightmares I had had about North Goa came rushing back as we stepped on to the beach at Anjuna, near a beach-side cafe called Curlie’s. Too many people and much too loud music – it was rape of the worst kind. We met the weird woman we were supposed to meet and barely twenty minutes later, Mansi and I were literally running back to our car to drive back South to peace and sanity. The weird woman gave me a headache which was cured by roadside chai, omelettes and Maggi noodles.

Through her happy googles, Mansi showed me a side of Goa that I had never imagined. I am in love with half of Goa.